Netflix has finally released Bullet Train Explosion, and it is a much better sequel to Keanu Reeves’ Speed than Speed 2: Cruise Control ever was. Speed is not a critically acclaimed masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is a fun action movie with a goofy premise, something that has earned it enough fans to warrant talks of a third Speed film. Unfortunately, the franchise ended on a sour note with the release of Speed 2: Cruise Control, and a movie like Bullet Train Explosion is a much better follow-up to Speed.

Bullet Train Explosion is an all-new Netflix thriller from Shinji Higuchi, the director of Shin Godzilla. The film takes place on a speeding bullet train, with the conductors discovering that a terrorist plot is underway. A bomb has been placed on the bullet train, with the terrorists explaining that it will explode if the train goes below 100 km/h. This forces all of Japan’s transportation organizations to work together in an attempt to rescue the hostages and stop the train before it explodes, with the vehicle being on course to hit Tokyo.

Bullet Train Explosion’s Premise Makes It The Perfect Speed Follow-Up

It Makes A Lot More Sense Than A Cruise Ship

Fans of Speed really need to check out Bullet Train Explosion, as it acts as the perfect follow-up to the Keanu Reeves thriller. Speed tells the story of a bus in Los Angeles that will explode if it goes below 50 miles per hour, with Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and the other Speed cast members having to work together to stop the bus. Although the speed floor is a bit lower, Speed and Bullet Train Explosion have almost the exact same plots, with Bullet Train Explosion acting as a spiritual successor to Speed over 30 years later.

Bullet Train Explosion also works as a Speed follow up due to its tone. Bullet Train Explosion is incredibly campy, and while the Netflix Original thriller is full of tense moments, it is a fun time throughout. This draws parallels to Speed, which is also made too goofy to take seriously thanks to its premise. The filmmakers behind each movie know that viewers are just tuning in to have fun, which is why Bullet Train Explosion acts as a modern Speed story.

Speed May Have Been Influenced By The Original Bullet Train Movie

Although This Hasn’t Been Confirmed

Interestingly, the story that Bullet Train Explosion is telling may be older than the story from the original Speed. 2025’s Bullet Train Explosion is actually a remake and a spiritual successor to the 1975 Japanese film The Bullet Train. The stories of both movies are nearly the same, with the 1975 original also following a bullet train that can’t go below a certain speed due to the threat of a bomb. Thus, this story is much older than the 1994 action movie, meaning that Speed wasn’t the first place that many moviegoers saw this plot.

Although it is impossible to say, it is very likely that Speed was influenced by The Bullet Train. The Bullet Train and Speed came out closer to each other than Speed did to Bullet Train Explosion. Both movies have nearly identical plots, with them following terrorist plots involving bombs and vehicles that are forced to speed. Many people often cite The Bullet Train when discussing Speed, with the two movies sharing a lot of DNA.

Bullet Train Explosion Makes Me Wish Speed Had Gotten A Proper Sequel

Rather Than The Awful Speed 2: Cruise Control

Bullet Train Explosion was a ton of fun, with it making me wish that Speed had gotten a proper sequel. Speed 2: Cruise Control is often cited as one of the worst sequels of all time, with it being hated even by fans of the original film. A cruise ship was a weird choice for the same Speed story, and its nonsensical story choices make the movie impossible to enjoy.

However, Speed could have further pulled from Bullet Train Explosion and set its story on a train. Having Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock appear in a Speed sequel set on a train would have been a lot of fun, with it being the logical way to raise the stakes of the original film. This would be a proper Speed sequel rather than whatever Speed 2: Cruise Control was. While Reeves and Bullock aren’t in Bullet Train Explosion, the Netflix film is still a much better continuation of Speed than the film’s proper sequel.